Parking meter



Feb. 1l, 1941. yIn'. PREscoTT ETAL PARKING METER Filed July 8, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 11, 1941. F. PREsco-r'r Erm.

PARKING METER Filed July 8, 1938 2 sheets-sheet 2 III Il Patented Feb. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES* 2,231,031 rsaxnm snaren Francis Prescott and John'C. Prescott,

Mass.

Grutto Application July s, 193s, sei-isi No. 218,136

s 'chime (ci. isi-'9) This invention relates to a meter for showing when an automobile has been parked beyond the time huilt and for other purpos.

'I'he principal objects ofthe invention are to 5 provide simple and convenient means whereby the insertion of a coin will, unassisted, close a circuit through an electromagnet, release a dial to allow it to be restored to a predetermined position and at the same time actuate a mercury, l or other switch to start medial rotating by the action ot a motor; to provide means whereby the completionfof the rotation of the dial through a predetermined length of time will result in the disconnection -of the dial from the source' of .l power: to provide means, in the form ora magnetically operated member, for setting the dial into operation through the opening o! a clutch andclosingitagainbyacammrthelike; toprovide means whereby the dial can be set up to 2g operate for diii'ercnt periods o! time, as for example, a quarter of an hour, a halthour or an hour;v to provide a meter and signal iight for showing when a-predeterminedV amount oi' time 2l,haiielapscdinwhichtheoperatic'nnwillbe positing o! a coin, andm provide means whereby.

i! anser employs the meter only'a part oi.' his allotted time, the meter will'go back to nero whenn everthenextuserdepositsacoinandthenstartl andthemeterwill need no attention meanwhile.`

' Fig.4isa view lookinginthedirection oiv u arrow 4 in Fig. 3, showing the clutch lever an associated parts: e

Fig. 5 is a side'vi'ew o! the dial with 'parts broken away, and showing the positions of the dial lugs at the ends of the dial travel:

Fig. 6 is a side view of the mercury switch in its two positions: f,

Iig. 'I is a side view o! the switch oi Fig-6, looking in the direction of arrow 'l in Hg. 2; Fig. 8 is an enlarged side view of the cam, showu ing the clutch lever in the actoi being moved entirely automatic with the ex'levill1 of the de side elevation, partly in section, of a by a dial lug'underinilue'nce of the dial spring i to engage the clutch sections; and

Fig.9iSBSim11a1VleW0fthepartSOfFig.8'

`but snowing the relation thereof et the end of the travel of the dial by the motor. 6

The operating parts of the meter embodying the present invention are carried on a frame composed of connected, parallel plates Il, l2.' A mechanism including an. electric motor il is mounted on plate I2 and drives a shaft ii when the power is on. Shaft it carries a relatively non-rotatable' but axially slidable clutch section Il, intermediate its ends, said clutch section being ladapted .for engagement with the cooperating clutch section 2l, the latter-,being freely journaled on the shaft i0, but not slidable thereon. The clutch section rigidly mounts a dial plate 2.4 which turns therewith, under iniluence of motor. Il, when the sections I8, 2l are engaged and theI current is on.

The periphery oi the dial isf provided with single or double scales 26 which may be observed thru the opposite windows 2l in a=r housing 30 which ts over the device.` These scales may be graduated in minutes to denote the passage of time, the motor I4 being designed to operate at a commensurate with the scale divisions.

A spring 3! is ilxed at one end to clutch section Il. hence, -in effect, to the dial, and at the other end to the plate Il, and is so coiled about clutch section 2l as to be tensioned upon driving. of the dial 24 by motori I4. Therefore,whenever ,the clutch sections Il, 2l are disengaged after the motor has turned the dial, spring 32 will return it to original position. As. shown by the arrows in Fig. 5, the motor turns the dial clockwise and the spring turns it counter-clockwise.

Mounted on a vertical pivot Il on plate I1 is a lever having a slot 8l for engagement with a groove. in the clutch section Il. Clearly, if the lever, is swung counter-clockwise about pivot 34 in Fig. 2, the clutch sections Il, 2l will be separated, and they will be brought together if the lever is swung clockwise in this ligure; At one end of the lever, there are mounted parallel plates 42 having a stud M therebetween, and arranged to bear against a sideface of the lever, there is a triangular cam 40 having a slot 4I in which the stud isar'rangedsothatthecammayrise and fau with relation-to the lever. A root is 50 provided at the bottom of the cam this foot extending toward the dial 2l, and the cam u being 'generally normal to the dial as seen in Fig. 2.

A lug I. is positioned on the side of the dial facing the'lenr 8i, and this lug is so arranged 55 2 arrancar as to engage the foot 48 on the cam and move the same upwards to about the limit of slot 45 when the dial rotates clockwise under influence of the motor. As'described below, the motor is always automatically stopped when this happens, so that the lug 55 never tends to urge the lever 36 upwards but only the cam. 'I'he vertical movement of the cam is only to allow the lug to make a complete revolution, if this becomes necessary under certain conditions, since if the cam could not move slightly upwards, then the lug could only rotate around shaft I6 'from a point above the foot 48 to a point below it, and the rotation of the lug would thus be short of a full rotation by a distance equal to the thickness of the foot 48. Incidentally, it is to be noted that the lug cannot move past the foot in either direction, and if the dial, in its clockwise movement, is stopped by cessation of the motor, so that the lug does not reach the foot 48, the slot 44 becomes unnecessary and may be dispensed with. 'I'his e'ect depends upon structure to be now described. Y n

A second lug .52 is secured to the face of the dial preferably opposite from the lever 35 and this lug may be positioned on the other side of the clutch section 2l from the lug Il, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. The purpose of lug l2 is to open or close a. mercury or other switch 54 adiustably mounted on plate Il by a slot and screw connection B, and which is connected to a lever 5I mounted to pivot onl a horizontal pin 58. The lever 56 is heldin position where placed by the friction of the pivot pin. As shown in Pig. 6, in full lines, the switch will be in ofi position, and is so positioned by engagement of lug l! with the end of lever 56 in the clockwisevrotation of the dial under inuence of the motor. Switch 54 controls the current to the motor and signal light 53 thru line 55 sothat when it is turned to oi! position, as just described, the motor and dial stop. Therefore, the relative angular pomtions of lugsV 50 and 52 on the dial. will determine whether or not the lug l. will contact and elevate the cam 4I. It is contemplated that an additional lug Il may be placed where desired on the dial in the same radius as lug l! for varied lengths of operation ofthe dial inV its metering action.

The dotted line showing in Fig. 6 indicates the on position of the switch I4, and the switch is M moved from oi! to on by contact of, the lug i! from below in its counterclockwise movement, i. e., when dial 24 is moved around shaft Il by the spring 3 2-f rom dotted'line showing f'lug 52 to full line positlon,see Fig. 5. 4As soon as this occurs, the motor is started, and rotates the dial clockwise, so that lug l2 now moves downwardly away from the switch, but the friction'of the pin 58 makes the lever I4 and hence switch 54 remain in on position until again turned tc o!! position by the clockwise action of the lugs I2 or Il, as the casel may be.- Incidentally. lugs l2 (0r .I never actually move past the lever I., only engage and tilt it.

A solenoid i! having a plunger I4 extending therefrom is mounted onA the plate l2, and the exposed end cf the plunger isA loosely connected to the end of lever 4t remote from the cam 44 (so that the'plunger can-,move in the direction of the arrow in Fig. l3, without returning the lever 38). A spring. keeps the plunger normally extended, but when current iiows in cir-- solenoid against the action 'of the sprlng,.and of course the clutch section I8 will be withdrawn from the clutch section 2li. It is to be noted that if the clutch sections are disengaged, the spring 32 turns the dial counterclockwise (Fig. 5), but when the sections are engaged, the dial is turned clockwise, or merely locked, by the friction of the motor parts, depending upon whether the motor is running or idle.

A coin chute 'lil mounted on housing 3|! is provided with a lever` 12 which is pivoted as shown in Fig. 2, and the lever has a coll spring 14 to maintain it in position in the chute. The circuit 5I is so arranged as to be closed when the lever 'l2 is depressed by 'a coin sliding down the chute, and open at all other times. This is accomplished by means of the contact arm 16 and contact 18 in its path.

The plunger 44 is provided with an arm 80 to actuate the counter 82. A l

The operation of the device is as follows: Assuming the meter to be in its normal inactive condition, as represented in Fig. 2, the clutch sections are closed, locking the dialin place, the motor is not running, and switch 54 is open. The dial is under spring tension and the lug Il is in dotted line position and lever 58 is in solid -clockwise (Fig. 5) by the spring 52, lug 50 moving downwardly from cam 4l, and lug 52 moving up-l wardly from lever 5I, until lug II engages the inclined surface of cam 45,' and riding down it, forces lever clockwise in Figs. 2 and 3, thus again engaging the clutch sections Il, 20. This action is shown by the arrows in Fig. 8, lug Il being in a position wherein ,lever 35 .is being .moved to the left, Pig. 8, and clockwise, Figs. 2 and 3, by said lug Il. At this instant, lug i2 engages lever 54 from below, pushing it up aboutits pivot Il to dotte'd line position, Fig. 6, and closing the motor circuit Il. The dial is thus reversed' and begins to rotate clockwise (Fig. 5) against the spring tension and meters the time until lug l! or Il, as the case may be, has made contact with lever 4I from above to turn it down to on' position of the switch 54. The motor now stops, the spring 32 is wound up, but the clutch sections I., 2l, being still engaged, lock the dial, by the friction andinertia of the motor parts, and it cannot move until such time as the plunger i4 is again retracted by a coin deposit to release the locking clutch sections. If the meter is so arranged asta operate for the full revolutionot the dial, as here shown, it is at this instant that lug Il, rising, strikes the bottom of foot on earn 45, and-pushes the same upwardly. Of course, ii lug Il is arranged to open switch 54 for a shorter time than a full revolution of the dial, the lug Il does not contact foot4l and the slot connection .44 is not used.

Of course, the dial is originally set in a predetermined position so as to correctly show the scale end thru the windows, and with spring 32 tensioned.

Now, `if another party, during the period while the dise-is moving the stop 22 clockwise toward the mercury switch, parks his car and drops a 09m into the slot, the first effect oi that is iust as stated above, toppen the-clutch. The spring 32 turns the dial counterclockwise back to zero again, as shown in Fig. 3, and the clutch is closed by the action of the stop 50 on the cam 4l.

It will be seen, therefore that, without any manual or other operation, such as pulling a lever or the like, the device is always in condition to receive a coin and to start automatically. Even if one party parks only a short time, leaving the instrument going, the deposit of another coin will start the machine going againfrom zero with no time lost, because the spring I2 immediatelyl puts the machine in condition for operation.

It is an important advantage that the party who vis parking his car does Ynothing to the parl:- ing meter except to deposit a coin. He does not have to do anything to stop or start for the next party, no matter whether the car has been parked for the whole time or not. It is all automatic, being started and stopped only' by the deposit of a coin. A second motorist desiring to park can deposit a coin whether the clock has stopped or not, and can 'get a full hours parking. If

` necessary the instrument can be heated very easily to prevent freezing without disturbing it by placing a thermostat or electric heating unit within the case.

Having thus described our invention and the advantages thereof, we do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what we claim is:

l. In a parking meter, the combination of a time measuring and indicating device having a motor, a dial adapted to be rotated by said motor, means carried by the dial for connecting the motor with, and disconnecting it from, a source of power, a motorshaft, a two part clutch, one part slidable lon and rotatable withsaid shaft, thevother part fixed to the dial and rotatable freely'on said shaft when the clutch sections are not connected, a coin chute, a circuit adapted to be momentarily closed, when a coin is introduced into thecoin chute, means operated by the closing of said circuit for unclutching the c1utch,\means for immediately-rotating the dial to a predetermined position, whether the dial is running or not, and means operated by the dial for clutching the two sections of the clutch together again so that the' dial will be rotated by the motor throughout the prescribed period of time. said motor driven rotation of the dial being in a reverse direction from said rotation to the predetermined position.

2. In a parking meter,\the combination with a motor, a motor circuit connected with a source of power, a motor shaft having a clutch section always rotatable with the shaft but slidable withl respect thereto, a time indicating rotary dial, a clutch section iixed to the dial and rotatable on said shaft, the clutch sections being arranged 4and adapted tov be closed when the deviceis not "operating, means operated by the dial for closing and opening the motor circuit, a coin chute, means, controlled by the deposit of a coin in the chute, for disconnecting the clutch sections, a spring arranged around theshaft and connected with the dial for turning the dial back to its starting position when the clutch sections are disconnected, a pawl on the dial, a cam in position for the pawl to operate it, a lever on which the cam is mounted, said first clutch section being connected to move back and forth with said lever, whereby the movement of the lever by the pawl will close the clutch and start the dial moving from its starting position. this movement being opposite to 'the dial movement caused by the spring.

3. `In a parking meter, the combination with a dial, a motor for operating said dial, amotor shaft, a circuit in which said motor is located, a switch in said circuit, a clutch comprising two sections, one fixed to the dial and freely rotatable on the motor shaft, the other movable on the motor shaft longitudinally but rotatable with it, a lever connected with the movable section of the clutch to move it back and forth, a cam mounted on the lever, a pawl on thedial` for engaging the cam and turning the lever so as to vbring the clutch sections into operative connection, means operated by the deposit of a coin for opening the clutch; means to'reversely turn said dial to starting position, the clutch being closed by ythe movement of the lever bythe paw-l on the dial, and a stop on the dial for opening the switch l and stopping the motor when the dial has rotated through a predetermined length of time.

4. In a parking meter, the combination with a dial, a motor for operating said dial, a motor shaft, a circuit in which said motor is located, a mercury switch in said circuit, a clutch comprising two sections, one fixed to the dial and freely rotatable on the motor, shaft, the other movable on the motor shaft longitudinally but rotatable with it, a lever connected with the movable section of the clutch to move it back and forth, a cam mounted on the lever, a pawl on the dial for engaging the cam and turningthe lever so as to bring the clutch sections into oper ative connection, a magnet, a circuit for operati ing the magnet adapted to be closed by the deposit of a coin, said magnet having a plunger provided with a head to engage the lever to open the clutch when the coin is first introduced, means to reversely turn the dial to starting position, the clutch being closed by the movement of the lever by the pawl on the dial, a stop on the dial for opening the switchv and stopping ,the

motor when the dial has rotated through apre determined length of time, a shaft projecting beyond the plunger, and a counter in position to be operated by the shaft to count one on the counter when the plunger is moved inwardly inv the magnet.

5. In' a parking meter, thecomblnation of a coin chute, a pivoted lever adapted to be engaged by a coin, when it is introduced into the chute.

said lever normally resting by gravity in a posi 6. In a parking meter, the combination of a` motor, a dial adaptedto be rotatedin one direction by the motor, a two-part clutch operatively arranged between the motor and the dial, said clutch parts being normally engaged, means for disengaging said clutch parts uponintroduction of a coin, whether the dial is running or not, means for rotating the dial in the opposite direction when the clutch parts are disengaged, means for stopping said opposite rotation at a predetermined' point, and means operated by the dial for reengaging 'the clutch parts.

'1. In a parking meter, the combination with driven shaft, a motor for driving the same in one direction, a switch in the circuit of said motor for opening and closing the circuit at the desired time, a rotary dial, means whereby the dial may be engaged, or disengaged with relation to the shaft, means disengaging thedial from the shaft upon deposit of a coin, means driving the dial in an opposite direction upon such disengagement to a predetermined starting position, and means immediately reengaging the dial and shaft.

'8. In a parking meter, the combination with a driven shaft, a motor for driving the same in one direction, a switch in the circuit of said motor for opening and closing the circuit at the desired time, a rotary dial, a lug on said dial to engage and operate said switch at predetermined intervals, means whereby said dial may be engaged or disengaged with relation to said shaft, means disengaging the dial from the shaft upon deposit or a coin, means driving the dial in'an opposite direction upon such disengagement to a predetermined starting position, means immediate- 1y^ reengaging the dial and shaft, at which time said lug operates said switch to close the motor circuit.

9. In a parking meter. the combination oi a motor, a dial, adapted to be rotated in one direction by said motor, a two-part clutch operatively arranged between said motor and dial, one

ypart ot said clutch being mounted on an arm of a lever for engagement and disengagement therewith of the,other clutch part, a cam on said lever, said clutch parts being normally engaged, means for moving said lever in a'direction to disengage said parts upon introduction of a coin, l

FRANCIS PREBCO'I'I'. JOHN C. ,PRESCOT'IX 

